![]() We are facing the aftermath and not sure how to reacclimate. So combine the two-reverse culture shock with a bit of collective PTSD, and we get closer to defining this strange, in-between space we’re inhabiting these days. No wonder they struggled (and continue to struggle). Which means they were in a war zone on Tuesday thrown into their old lives and their old relationships on Wednesday. But in Vietnam (and subsequent wars), most soldiers were debriefed and flown home on airplanes-leaving them only 18 hours to transition worlds. There were weeks of distance, processing, grieving, and connection among the soldiers that helped the re-entry process. There was a natural buffer-a liminal time between the site of the trauma and the re-emerging into society. In earlier wars, soldiers traveled home by ship, a process that took several weeks, and they traveled together. It was once explained to me that US soldiers in Vietnam began to experience more frequent instances of PTSD in part because of airplanes. My grandparents lived in the shadow of the Depression for the rest of their lives. But we carry the aftermath of life-threatening trauma-wars, accidents, abuse, starvation, or a deadly pandemic-in our bodies, sometimes for years, maybe even a lifetime. There is also the very real trauma of surviving a life-threatening situation. Returning created just as much disturbance as leaving-maybe more because we were unprepared for it.īut reverse culture shock is only part of the current equation. We had changed, and the old ways now seemed foreign and awkward. We had been well prepared for the culture shock of Nepal-but, after 3 weeks of adjusting to a new everything: new climate, altitude, food, customs, time zone- we were completely unprepared for the re-entry. I first experienced it after spending 3 weeks on an anthropology trip in Nepal in college. You probably know about culture shock-if you’ve experienced it, you may remember feeling unmoored in the new spaces-not quite sure how to navigate in the face of so much difference. But…you eventually embraced the unfamiliar and opened your heart to the difference, and in that opening you found new ways, new foods, and new rituals.įewer people talk about reverse culture shock. ![]() A kind of reverse culture shock tinged with trauma. It’s like slipping between worlds, inhabiting a strange, transitional, duty-free zone between here and there. I’ve been trying to put a name to this feeling for weeks. For 18 months we’ve been dreaming of this kind of permission, but now we may feel stunned. In the U.S., there has been an impulse to move forward, and quickly! Take off your masks, everyone! Hug your friends! Go to Disneyworld! And yet it’s unsettling. Working out in water allows for an enjoyable calorie burn despite the summer heat.Are you feeling the shift? Something in the water these last few weeks… unfamiliar frequencies, extra static that you can’t quite put your finger on? A cautious shift into…joy? Hesitancy? Both? I came up with a perfect solution, water. As Clevelanders, they are hard to come by, we have to make the best of every single one.Īfter a refreshing shower and guzzling what seemed like a gallon of cold water, I began to research alternatives. Miserable is no way to spend an hour of sunny summer weather. It was nearly 90 degrees by 11 am, and my path granted me zero shade. A couple steps in and I already knew I was in trouble. One morning this week, I left for a walk feeling spry and ready to take on a few quick miles. ![]() I have no trouble maintaining a commitment to some calorie burning endeavor, except when it is sweltering hot. Whether it be a brisk walk, bike ride or yoga, it leaves me rejuvenated and feeling healthy. Although I am far from an athlete, exercise is an essential part of my day.
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